Conversion of hydrocarbons



Oct. 13, 1936. J c MORRELL 2,057,631

CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS Filed April 25, 1935 F RACTIONATOR COKING 6 CHAMBER VAPORIZING AND l SEPARATING |2 CHAMBER FURNACE 2 INVENTOR JACQUE C. MORRELL TTORNEY Patented Oct. 13, 1936 PATENT OFFICE CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS Jacque C. Morrell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application April 25,

6 Claims.

This application is a continuation-in-part of mygco-pending application Serial No. 582,794,

filed December 23, 1931.

-This invention particularly refers to an improved process for the conversion and coking of hydrocarbon oils and provides for the conversion and reduction to coke of coal and similar solid pyrobituminous material simultaneous with said treatment of the hydrocarbon oil and within the same system.

In one embodiment, the invention comprises subjecting a hydrocarbon oil of relatively low boiling characteristics to a high conversion temperature at substantial superatmospheric pressure in a heating coil, introducing the highly heated products into a coking chamber, simultaneously supplying solid bituminous material, such as coal, in controlled amounts to the coking chamber wherein it is reduced to coke by the heat derived from the hot conversion products from the heating coil, withdrawing vaporous products from the coking chamber and contacting the same in a vaporizing and separating chamber with hydrocarbon oil charging stock for the process whereby the charging stock is subjected to vaporization and whereby entrained liquid particles and undesirable high boiling components of the vapors are condensed, returning the high boiling liquid products from the vaporizing and separating chamber, including high boiling nonvaporous components of the charging stock and heavy liquids removed from the vaporous products from the coking zone, to the coking chamber for further treatment, subjecting vaporous products from the vaporizing and separating chamber to fractionation whereby their components boiling above the range of the desired final light distillate product of the process are condensed as reflux condensate, returning the reflux condensate, comprising said relatively low boiling oil, to the heating coil for further conversion, subjecting fractionated vapors of the desired endboiling point to condensation and collecting and separating the resulting distillate and gas.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the present invention provides a process and apparatus of simple form for the simultaneous treatment of solid bituminous material, such as coal, and liquid hydrocarbons, such as petroleum oils, which offer numerous advantages over previous processes for the same purpose. In the present invention only relatively low boiling oils are subjected to conversion in a heating coil, the solid portions of the charge being supplied directlyto the coking chamber, thereby avoiding 1935, Serial No. 18,090

the disadvantages and dangers resulting from the treatment of a mixture of high coke-forming solid material, such as coal, in company with a liquid carrier, such as hydrocarbon oil, while flowing in a restricted stream through an externally heated coil.

The invention further provides for the removal of undesirable high boiling components, including entrained heavy liquid particles of a high coke-forming nature, from the vaporous products from the coking zone prior to their fractionation for the formation of the relatively low boiling oil (reflux condensate) supplied to the heating coil of the system. This is accomplished by contacting the vaporous products from the coking zone with hydrocarbon oil charging stock for the process prior to said fractionation of the vapors whereby the vapors are partially cooled and the charging stock is subjected to vaporization. This practice not only serves to remove undesirable high boiling components from the vaporous products from the coking zone, in order to prevent their return to the heating coil with the reflux condensate, but also permits the use of any desired type of hydrocarbon oil as charging stock for the process, ranging from low boiling distillate to heavy residual oils and specifically including oils of relatively wide boiling range. When the charging stock is a relatively low boiling oil, it will be substantially completely vaporized by contact with the vaporous products from the coking zone and will pass, together with the components of said vapors remaining uncondensed by said contact, to fractionation for the formation of reflux condensate. On the other hand, when the charging stock is of a higher boiling nature, the degree of vaporization to which it is subjected will be correspondingly less, and its high boiling components which remain unvaporized will be returned to the coking zone for further treatment together with the high boiling materials removed from the vaporous products from the coking zone by their contact with the charging stock, without passing the heavy oils through the heating coil. The accompanying diagrammatic drawing illustrates one specific form of apparatus in which the process of the invention may be accomplished.

Referring to the drawing, the relatively 'low boiling oil supplied to heating coil l, in the manner to be later more fully described, is subjected therein to the desired relatively high conversion temperature, preferably at a substantial superatmospheric pressure, by means of heat supplied from a furnace 2 of any suitable form. The hot conversion products are discharged from heating coil I through line 3 and valve 4 into coking chamber 5 wherein they come into direct and intimate contact with the materials undergoing coking in this zone and supply thereto the heat required for their reduction to coke.

Solid bituminous material, such as coal, is supplied to coking chamber 5 simultaneously with the introduction of the hot conversion products from heating coil I into thiszone. Preferably, the solid material is also supplied to the coking chamber continuously, the amount of solid material intro, duced being in proportion relative to the hot conversion products supplied to this zone so that they are reduced to coke without allowing any large mass of uncoked material to accumulate in the coking chamber. Introduction of the coal or similar solid bituminous material may be accomplished by means of a suitable charging device such as indicated, for example, at 6, the solid material being supplied thereto through a hop per I and discharged through a conduit 8 into chamber 5. Any other suitable form of charging device (not shown) may be employed for the same purpose and a charging device capable of operating against high pressure without leakage is, of course, essential in case .the coking chamber is operated at substantial superatmospheric pressure.

The coke produced in chamber 5 may be allowed to accumulate within this zone to be removed therefrom in any well known manner (not shown) after the chamber has been substantially filled with coke or after its operation has been terminated for any other reason. A plurality of coking chambers may, of course, be employed although only a single chamber is illustrated in the drawing and when a plurality is utilized the chambers preferably are alternately operated, cleaned and prepared for further operation in order that the duration of the operating cycle will not be limited by the capacity of the coking zone. Chamber 5 is provided with a suitable drain-line 9, controlled by valve I0, which may also serve as a means of introducing water, steam or any other suitable cooling medium into the chamber after its operation has been completed and after it has been isolated from the rest of the system, in order to hasten cooling and facilitate the removal of coke.

Vaporous products are removed from the upper portion of the coking chamber and are directed through line II and valve I2 into vaporizing and separating chamber I3 wherein the vapors are cooled and scrubbed, by contact with hydrocarbon oil charging stock for the process, sufiiciently to effect the removal therefrom of high boiling components including any entrained heavy liquid particles which are undesirable as charging stock for heating coil I.

The hydrocarbon oil charging stock for the process is supplied through line I4 and valve I5 to pump I6 by means of which it is fed through line I! and is directed, all or in part, through valve I8 in this line into vaporizing and separating chamber I3, preferably being supplied thereto by means of a suitable spray or spreader arrangement such as indicated, for example, at I9. The components of the Vaporous products from the coking zone removed therefrom as liquid in chamber I3 and any high boiling components of the charging stock remaining unvaporized in this zone are withdrawn from the lower portionof chamber I3 through line 20 and valve 2|] to pump 22 by means of which this relatively high boiling oil is returned through line 23,- line '24 valve 28.

The components of the charging stock vaporizedin chamber I3 and the components of the Vaporous products from the coking chamber which remain uncondensed in this zone are withdrawn from the upper portion thereof and directed through line 29 and valve 30 to fractionation in fractionator 3|, wherein their components boiling above the range of the desired final light distillate product of the process are condensed as reflux condensate. The reflux condensate may collect within the lower portion of the fractionator from which it is withdrawn through line 32 and 'valve33 to pump 34, by means of which it is supplied through line 35 and valve 36 to conversion in heating coil I, in the manner previously described.

Fractionated vapors of the desired end boiling point are withdrawn from the upper portion of fractionator 3| through line 31 and are directed through valve 38 in this line to condensation and cooling in condenser 39. The resulting distillate and gas passes through line 40 and valve II to collection and separation in receiver 42. Uncondensable gas may be released from the receiver through line 43 and valve 44. Distillate maybe withdrawn from receiver 42 through line 45 and valve 46 to storage or to any desired further treatment. When desired, a regulated portion of the distillate collected in receiver 42 may be recirculated by well known means (not shown) to the upper portion of fractionator 3| to serve as a cooling and refluxing medium in this zone for assisting'fractionation of the vapors and to maintain the desired vapor outlet temperature therefrom.

The preferred range of operating conditions which may be employed to accomplish the objects of the present invention in an apparatus such as illustrated and above described may be approximately as follows:

The temperature to which the reflux condensate is subjected, as measured at the outlet from the heating coil to which it is supplied, may range, for example, from 900 to 1050 F., or thereabouts, preferably with a substantial superatmospheric pressure at this point in the system of from 100 to 800 pounds, or more, per square inch. The coking chamber may be operated at any desired pressure ranging from substantially atmospheric up to a superatmospheric pressure substantially the same as that employed at the outlet from the heating coil and this pressure may be either substantially equalized or reduced in the succeeding vaporizing and separating, fractionating, condensingand collection equipment. Preferably, however, the vaporizing and separating chamber is operated at substantially atmospheric or a relatively low superatmospheric pressure up to 100 pounds, or thereabouts, per square inch.

As a specific example of one mode of operation of the process of the present invention the solid portion of the charging stockis a bituminous coal having a volatile content of approximately 30% which is continuously supplied to the coking zone in pulverized form. The liquid component of the charging stock is a Mid-Continent fuel oil of about 24 A. P. I. gravity which is subjected to vaporization by contact with the vapors from the coking zone, its low boiling vaporized components being thence subjected to fractionation together with the uncondensed components of the vapors from the coking zone while the high boiling components of the charging stock and the high boiling components of the vapors from the coking zone which are condensed by contact with the charging stock are supplied to the coking chamber. The reflux condensate from the fractionator is subjected in the heating coil to an outlet conversion temperature of approximately 1000 F. at a superatmospheric pressure of about 350 pounds per square inch and the highly heated products from the heating coil are introduced into the lower portion of the coking chamber. The coking chamber is operated at a superatmospheric pressure ,of approximately 30 pounds per square inch which is substantially equalized in the succeeding portions of the system. When the charging stock'comprises about 30% by weight of coal and about 70% by weight of fuel oil the operation will yield, per ton of charging stock, approximately 160 gallons of motor fuel having an octane number of approximately '70, approximately 825 pounds of good quality coke having a volatile content of less than 12% and about 2500 cubic feet of uncondensable gas.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process for producing gasoline from heavy hydrocarbon oil and coal comprising introducing the heavy hydrocarbon oil and coal into the upper portion of a vertically elongated coking chamber, simultaneously introducing into the lower portion of said vertically elongated coking chamber a highly heated relatively lighter hydrocarbon material at a temperature adequate to produce gasoline-like hydrocarbons from the heavy hydrocarbon oil and coal introduced into the upper portion of said coking chamber, taking off vapors from the upper portion of said coking chamber, subjecting said vapors to a primary partial condensation in contact with charging oil for the process, recirculating condensate from said primary partial condensation step with charging oil to the upper portion of said vertically elongated coking chamber, passing vapors escaping condensation by said partial condensation step to a fractionator, effecting further partial condensation of the vapors in said fractionator and passing the resultant condensate through an elongated heating coil wherein it is raised to a cracking temperature and then delivering the thus heated condensate to the lower portion of said elongated coking chamber as said lighter hydrocarbon.

2. A process for the simultaneous conversion of hydrocarbon charging oil and coking of solid pyrobituminous material, which comprises introducing the solid material to an enlarged coking zone and destructively distilling the same therein, removing resultant vapors from the coking zone and partially condensing the same by contact with the charging oil, supplying liquid products of this contacting step directly to the coking zone, fractionating the vapors uncondensed by the partial condensation, passing re sultant reflux condensate through a heating coil and subjecting the same therein to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure, discharging the heated reflux condensate into the coking zone and into contact with the solid material and liquid products introduced thereto, and flnal 1y condensing the fractionated vapors.

3. A process for the simultaneous conversion of hydrocarbon charging oil and coking of solid pyrobituminous material, which comprises introducing the solid material to the upper portion of a vertically elongated coking zone and destructively distilling the same in said zone, removing vapors from the upper portion of the coking zone and partially condensing the same by contact with the charging oil, recirculating resultant condensate to the upper portion of the coking zone, fractionating the vapors uncondensed by the partial condensation, passing resultant reflux condensate through a heating coil and subjecting the same therein to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure, discharging the heated reflux condensate into the lower portion of the coking zone, and finally condensing the fractionated vapors.

4. The process as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said charging oil contains components unvaporizable in said contacting step and which are supplied to the coking zone in said liquid products.

5. The process as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said charging oil contains components which are vaporizable in said contacting step, such components being condensed by said fractionation and supplied to the heating coil in the reflux condensate.

6. The process as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said charging oil has a boiling range such that it is partially vaporized in said contacting step, the unvaporized portion thereof being supplied to the coking zone in said liquid products and vaporized portions thereof being condensed by said fractionation and supplied to the heating coil in the reflux condensate.

J ACQUE C. MORRELL. 

